Elon Musk lowers DOGE's estimated savings — again

• Elon Musk said the DOGE office will cut close to $150 billion in FY 2026.
• It's unclear how Musk's declaration puts him on pace to accomplish DOGE's more ambitious targets.
• Musk has a history of making lofty promises that don't translate into reality.

Elon Musk said on Thursday that the White House DOGE office will cut close to $150 billion in FY 2026, lowering the ambitious targets he once had for President Donald Trump's signature effort to reorganize the federal government.

"Thanks to your fantastic leadership, the amazing Cabinet, the very talented DOGE team, I'm excited to announce that we anticipate savings in F26 from reduction of waste and fraud by $150 billion," Musk said during a Cabinet meeting at the White House.

Musk said the savings "will actually result in better services for the American people." Business Insider previously reported that due to DOGE-office-spurred cuts, fewer people are answering the phones in Social Security offices at a time of record call volumes.

During a Fox News interview last month, Musk said the DOGE office would be very close to cutting $1 trillion in spending before his time in the government is up.

"I think we will have accomplished most of the work required to reduce the deficit by a trillion dollars within that timeframe," Musk told Fox News anchor Bret Baier during a panel interview with top members of the DOGE office team.

Musk, the de facto leader of the White House DOGE office, is nearing the end of his 130 period in the federal government. As a special government employee, the Tesla CEO's time will be up as soon as late May. The service requirement does not have real teeth, but the White House has said Musk intended to leave when his time runs out.

Trump expressed hope in retaining other DOGE team members, many of whom, like Musk, are special government employees.

"Your people are fantastic, in fact, hopefully they will stay around for the long haul," the president said.

A White House spokesperson did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment on the discrepancy between Musk's current and previous statements.

Musk has a history of making sweeping promises that don't always translate into reality.

In 2016, Musk promised that it would be possible to summon a Tesla remotely from across the country within two years — a feat that remains nowhere near possible.

During initial conversations about the DOGE office, Musk mused about cutting $2 trillion in federal spending.

The DOGE office has begun to fade from headlines amid Trump's tariffs and congressional action on the president's sweeping immigration, energy, and tax cut bill.

Musk has also become more of a liability. His significant bet in the Wisconsin Supreme Court election on April 1 appears to have backfired. Nationally, Musk's popularity has cratered amid his high-profile role in the Trump administration.